It's not business as usual as Texans hit field with new coach

63 players hit the field with their new coach, but it definitely was not business as usual

The Texans sported a spartan look for the start of minicamp Tuesday, with Case Keenum (7) and company wearing nameless jerseys and logo-free helmets.

The Texans sported a spartan look for the start of minicamp...

The Texans who convened Tuesday morning with new head coach Bill O'Brien and his almost completely new staff of assistants for the first day of a voluntary veterans minicamp were a nameless lot.

Literally. The players' jerseys had only numbers on them - no names. Their blue helmets also were bereft of the Texans' bull logo. It looked strange. O'Brien, however, suggested afterward not to "read too much" into any of that. As for what should be read into receiver Andre Johnson's absence, O'Brien left the media to speculate.

Nobody was supposed to ask him about players who weren't on the field - that had been clearly spelled out in advance in a directive laying down the ground rules for those permitted to watch the practices - but somebody did anyway.

"(Participation) is voluntary," was O'Brien's poker-faced response. "We just coach who shows up."

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Johnson, the Texans' second first-round draft pick behind David Carr, is the franchise's longest-tenured player and likely to be its first Hall of Famer.

Johnson remains under contract through 2016, and he hasn't overtly expressed displeasure regarding his situation in Houston, no matter how trying last season's 2-14 season was for him as his career winds down and a championship appears, if anything, further beyond his grasp.

'Electrifying' scheme

But O'Brien's reputation as a molder of quarterbacks and an offensive force to be reckoned with as he returns to the NFL after two seasons spent cleaning up the Penn State mess seemingly would be an encouraging plus for Johnson going into a 12th season. Left tackle Duane Brown said he is excited about O'Brien's scheme, saying: "I think it's going to be electrifying."

Also, in a few days' time, with the draft starting Thursday night and the Texans in possession of the first pick in every round, they surely are going to have a bright young quarterback prospect in the mix.

Johnson can only prosper from that, however the competition for the starting job eventually sorts out.

As for the "voluntary" element of this week's workouts, it is only because Johnson has so rarely skipped them in the past that makes his non-presence conspicuous.

Calls to Johnson's agent were not returned.

O'Brien's take on the Texans who did show up - 63 by his count - was positive after the two-hour practice.

If anyone is dwelling on the dismal recent past, O'Brien said it didn't show through in how the players responded. He insisted last season is dead to him for the most obvious reason.

"I wasn't here last year," he said. "I'd be remiss if I talked about it (with the players). But we'll show tape (because) there were plays that Houston ran last year that are similar to the plays we run. 'We'll show them, 'Hey, here's how we did it at this place and here's how you guys did it last year,' so they can see themselves on tape. They called it apples, we called it oranges."

Foster good to go

O'Brien didn't want to single any one player out, but he specifically was asked about running back Arian Foster, who was practicing for the first time since his 2013 season was shut down after eight games because of a back problem that proved serious enough to require surgery.

Foster, for his part, declined a post-practice interview to discuss how he was feeling.

Regarding the three quarterbacks under contract, newcomer Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum and T.J. Yates, O'Brien observed, "These guys are smart. They show up every day. They get extra work, all three of them. We've enjoyed working with them."

Fitzpatrick, the 10-year veteran acquired as a free agent, returned the compliment.

"I'm excited, and a lot of my excitement stems from the guys who will be out there on the field with coach O'Brien and what he brings to the team," he said, adding that the Texans will be running "a multiple offense designed to attack the defense, and it's something that will constantly be changing every week. We've just scratched the surface in terms of what this system really is. Our knowledge of it is very basic right now, but I think they brought me in for a reason in terms of fitting into their scheme."

The seven-year veteran Brown, the second-most-tenured Texan behind Johnson, admitted: "It's a little different feel out here. … A very intense staff. They really focus on attention to detail, working on the little things that hurt us a lot as a team before. You have to keep in mind the struggles we went through so not to repeat that, but at the same time we know it's a new group, a new team, a new system and a new season. We're moving forward while keeping in mind the mishaps we had last year. That will make us better this year.

"We're all grown men, professionals. We all have a common goal in mind - which is to win - and everyone has a respect for each other as men. That's where it starts."

Busy summer ahead

This week of work is largely intended to get the Texans used to how O'Brien and his coaches expect practices to function, both logistically and emotionally. The rookies will be put through their paces at a post-draft minicamp May 16-18. Voluntary organized team activities start the last week in May with a mandatory full-team minicamp set for mid-June. Then the players are off until they report for training camp July 25.

"We want the vets to take a leadership role when the rookies get here in terms of how we do practice, where the drills are, what's the offense's field, what's the defense's field, how we do special teams," O'Brien said. "It's definitely important to have these practices with these guys who have played in the pros a little bit. Then, when the rookies get here, they can just get in line, keep their mouths shut and follow the leader.

"From drill to drill, the guys were understanding the tempo of things. I thought we got off to a good start. These guys are professional football players. We told them every year is different. Every year in the NFL, there's change. Different players, different coaches. Part of being an NFL football player or a coach is being able to adapt to change, and I think our guys have adapted well to this point."

Watt, the NFL's defensive player of the year in 2012, noted how his jersey number was red - another change: defensive players are wearing white with red numerals and offensive players blue with white numerals, exactly the opposite of how the Texans dressed out during Gary Kubiak's tenure.

"Football's football," he said. "It was a good day of work. Everybody was working hard. That's all you can ask for the first day. It's too early to say too much about how things are different."